


let me be your haven

by splendidlyimperfect



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: ADHD Natsu, ADHD Sting, Canon Universe, Child Neglect, Childhood Friends, Cute Kids, Dai Matou Enbu | Grand Magic Games Arc, Fairy Tail Dragon Slayers, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Mutual Pining, Nonbinary Character, Nonbinary Rogue, Not Canon Compliant, Other, Parenthood, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Gray, Sort Of, Trans Character, Trans Gray, Trans Sting, and kind of does, because Gray and Natsu are idiots, like not even close, protective Natsu, they're just adorable baby dragon slayers and Natsu wants to adopt them
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:26:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27104941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/splendidlyimperfect/pseuds/splendidlyimperfect
Summary: When Natsu runs into five-year-old Sting and Rogue at the Grand Magic Games, he thinks they're cute kids with a serious case of hero worship. But when it turns out that they're both Dragon Slayers and they belong to the ruthless Sabertooth Guild, something doesn't feel quite right. Natsu and Gray quickly grow protective of the two little kids, and they do their best to build a relationship with them to try to keep them safe and figure out what exactly is going on at Sabertooth.
Relationships: Laxus Dreyar/Freed Justine, Natsu Dragneel & Sting Eucliffe, Natsu Dragneel/Gray Fullbuster, Rogue Cheney & Gray Fullbuster, Rogue Cheney & Natsu Dragneel, Rogue Cheney/Sting Eucliffe, Sting Eucliffe & Gray Fullbuster
Comments: 43
Kudos: 150
Collections: fuck the gender binary





	1. first impressions

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lastoneleft](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lastoneleft/gifts).



> so this fic basically took a look at canon, told it to fuck off, and then kinda wrote itself. tenrou never happened, fairy tail and sabertooth are both competing in the grand magic games, but sting and rogue are only five and not on the team yet. also, dragon slaying is just a type of magic and doesn't actually come from dragons (plus the slayers all have awesome scales).
> 
> yes, i know i have 800 wips, but my adhd brain doesn't always listen >.< i promise i'll finish them all eventually! 
> 
> title from [let me be your haven](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yB3QETQKERA) by we banjo 3
> 
> [](https://www.flickr.com/photos/142370976@N04/50506648672/in/dateposted-public/)  
> ~art by me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natsu meets an excitable and awestruck Sting at the Grand Magic Games.

“I’m Sting and I’m five.”

Natsu frowned, setting down the fruit he’d been inspecting and looking around for the source of the voice. Eventually there was a tug on his pants, and he looked down to see a little blond boy staring up at him.

“Hey, bud,” Natsu said, glancing around the market for the kid’s parents. “Are you lost?”

“Nu-uh.” Sting shook his head. “You’re Natsu! I know ‘cause your hair is pink an’ I sawed you on the screen.” He pointed to the enormous lacrima overlooking the market that was showing the highlights from the morning’s fights. The Grand Magic Games logo flashed in the bottom corner as Natsu’s face filled the screen, brow furrowed in concentration as he tag-teamed against another guild with Gray.

“See?” Sting looked pleased with himself and grinned, and when Natsu saw pointy incisors poking out over his lip, he raised an eyebrow.

“Those are some pretty sharp teeth,” he said, flashing his own in a wide smile.

“I’m a dragon slayer too!” Sting said, nearly vibrating with excitement. His eyes were wide and as bright blue as the summer sky, and he had a wild smattering of freckles across his nose. Now that Natsu was looking for it, he could just barely see the pearlescent white sheen of dragon scales that ran from Sting’s temples down the sides of his face to his neck. 

“You are, huh?” Natsu crouched down next to Sting, who bounced on the balls of his feet. The scales were similar to Natsu’s own, and he had the faint scent of draconic magic, but Natsu only knew two other slayers that had been born with the power – Wendy and Gajeel. It was an incredibly rare power, and something about the situation didn’t feel quite right.

“What kind of dragon slayer?” he asked as he tried to pick out what was masking the dragon scent. There was something else, something familiar that faded away each time he tried to remember it.

“A brave one!” Sting grinned. “Like you! An’ when I’m big I’m gonna win too ‘cause I’m super strong. Me an’ Rogue!”

“Rogue?”

Sting turned to stare at the soft shadow of the fruit stand that spread out in the afternoon sun and put his hands on his hips. “Rooooogue,” he grumbled, poking it with his toe. “Come out!” The shadow wobbled. “Please?”

Natsu frowned as the shadow on the ground shifted, coalescing as it rose and forming into another small child. They were thin and lean where Sting was still round and baby-faced, with long dark hair that hung in front of their face. It didn’t quite conceal their own scales – dark where Sting’s were light.

“That’s Rogue!” Sting said brightly, grabbing Rogue’s hand as they shifted uncertainly. “They’re shy. But they’re my best friend. Who’s _your_ best friend?”

Natsu laughed at Sting’s wild exuberance. “Uh, probably Gray,” he admitted.

“Gray is your best friend?” Sting asked, eyes wide as he pulled Rogue closer to him. Natsu nodded. “You did a fight with him today! He’s super strong. But not as strong as you ‘cause you’re the strongest.”

“Is that so?”

Another shadow appeared behind Natsu followed by a chill breeze and the scent of peppermint. He looked up to see Gray standing above him, arms crossed over his chest with an amused look on his face.

“Hey, he’s only speaking he truth,” Natsu said, grinning and pushing himself to his feet. Gray rolled his eyes. “This is Sting and Rog—”

“Can you make _anything_ out of ice?” Sting interrupted, taking a step forward and staring up at Gray.

“Yeah, I guess so?” Gray said. “As long as I know what it looks like.”

“Can you make a snake?”

Rogue, who had moved to hide behind Sting, perked up at the suggestion. Natsu watched the nervous expression on their face transform into a shy smile as Gray held out his hands. Snowflakes spiraled out from his fingertips in pretty patterns, then coalesced in his palm, swirling together into the form of a tiny snake.

“Whooooa,” Sting said, leaning forward to stare at it. “Can I have it?” Rogue kicked the back of his leg and whispered something, and Sting quickly added, “Please.”

Gray laughed, handing the ice sculpture to Sting, who said a quick _thank you,_ then promptly turned around and held it out to Rogue.

“It’s for you!” he said, grinning. “Snakes are Rogue’s favorite,” Sting explained to Gray as Rogue took the sculpture and gazed at it with a tiny smile on their face.

The conversation was interrupted by a muffled burst of static from the lacrima screen, which was followed quickly by an announcement from the stands, marking the twenty-minute countdown to the start of the next event.

“We’re not up, are we?” Natsu asked, squinting at the screen.

Gray shook his head. “Nah, it’s Erza. We should head up to watch, though.”

Natsu nodded, then looked back at Sting and Rogue. “Where are your parents?” he asked.

Sting’s bright smile darkened for a second. “Gone,” he said. Then he quickly added, “We got a guild though.” He pulled up the sleeve of his shirt to show them the mark there – a while tiger’s head.

“You guys are with Sabertooth?” Natsu asked, giving Gray an uncertain look. Sabertooth had almost won the games last year, and Erza had barely managed to pull Fairy Tail to a victory. The guild was strong, but they were also known for their ruthlessness, which seemed incredibly at odds with Sting’s bright personality.

“Yeah!” Sting wrapped his arm around Rogue. “When we get bigger, we’re gonna be on the team an’ be the strongest and win!”

“Oh yeah?” Natsu raised an eyebrow, trying to hide a smile. “You think you’re gonna beat me?”

“Oh.” Sting frowned as if he hadn’t considered the idea. Then he perked up again. “That’s in lots of years so you’ll be too old to fight an’ we’ll fight different persons.” 

Gray burst out laughing, slapping Natsu’s shoulder. “Yeah, pyro, you’ll be ancient in a few years, don’t you know?”

“Shut up,” Natsu said, rolling his eyes and swatting away Gray’s hand. “All right you two, where’s your guild sitting?”

Sting chewed his lip. “We’re not allowed,” he said, looking back at Rogue, who nodded.

Natsu frowned as the uneasy feeling in his stomach intensified. Sting seemed like a sweet kid, but he and Rogue certainly weren't old enough to be wandering around Crocus on their own.

“You’re not allowed to sit with your guild?”

“Master said we have to be bigger,” Sting said sullenly. He kicked at a rock on the ground. “An’ stronger.”

“Asshole,” Gray muttered, glaring up at the screen. Jiemma, the master of Sabertooth, was featured in the pan-over of the crowd, large and imposing with his arms crossed over his chest.

“What’s a asshole?” Sting asked, and Natsu sighed, elbowing Gray in the ribs before shaking his head.

“Not a word for little kids,” Natsu said. Before Sting could argue that he wasn’t little, Natsu added, “How ‘bout you two come sit with us?”

Sting’s eyes widened and he stared up at Natsu in shock. “With you?”

“Yup.”

Gray gave Natsu a look that clearly meant _we’re not here to babysit,_ but Natsu ignored him and held out his hand to Sting.

“C’mon,” he said, smiling when Sting tentatively took his hand, Rogue trailing along behind him. “Come meet Fairy Tail.”

* * *

And that was how Natsu ended up spending the afternoon with an excitable, incredibly talkative five-year-old in his lap. Sting was remarkably well-versed in magic for someone so young, and Natsu was impressed by his ability to quickly assess the player’s strengths and weaknesses. He also had a million questions that Natsu had trouble keeping up with.

“Where Erza’s armor goes when she stops using it?”

“Why Lucy’s keys don’t need a door?”

“Where does Gray’s ice come from?”

“Is Laxus made of lightning?”

“Did Gajeel’s piercings hurt?”

Rogue, meanwhile, sat quietly between Gray and Natsu, watching the battles with the intensity of someone much older. They held the snake ice sculpture on their lap the whole time, looking down at it with a shy smile when they thought nobody was looking.

“Who are the brats?” Laxus asked when he rejoined the group after his event, raising his eyebrow at the two kids. Sting turned to scowl at him but brightened when he realized who it was.

“I’m Sting and that’s Rogue and we’re dragon slayers too!” He bounced in Natsu’s lap, staring up at the scales on Laxus’ face. “I’m gonna be strong like Natsu when I grow up.”

“You are, huh?” Laxus sat down next to them, taking up enough room for three people. “You look pretty scrawny to me.” Sting huffed at him and Laxus laughed. “Well, hothead here wasn’t very big at your age either, so you might have a chance.”

“You knowed Natsu when he was little?”

Laxus laughed. “Yup. He used to follow me around all the time, asking me to—”

“Nobody wants to hear about that,” Natsu said quickly, kicking Laxus in the ankle and glaring at him.

“No, we definitely do,” Gray said, leaning on the railing and looking around Rogue at Laxus.

“Oh, fu—”

“Language,” Gray interrupted, grinning at Natsu. “Don’t wanna corrupt the kids.”

“What ‘corrupt’ means?” Sting asked, looking over at Gray.

“It means that Natsu says bad words that you shouldn’t say.”

“I wasn’t the one who called Jiemma an asshole,” Natsu protested, then winced as Sting frowned at him. He was about to apologize when Sting looked away, then quickly turned back to Laxus.

“Why your eye is like that?” he asked, pointing to Laxus’ scar.

Gray and Natsu both cringed at the question, but surprisingly, Laxus didn’t react. “It happened a long time ago,” was all he said, then in an unusual display of affection, he ruffled Sting’s hair. “You get lots of scars fighting bad guys.”

“Me too!” Sting said excitedly. He squirmed in Natsu’s lap and looked at him again, the slight against his guild master clearly forgotten. “I’m gonna fight lots of bad guys and be just like you.”

Something warm spread through Natsu’s chest at Sting’s worshipful gaze. It ached in a soft, quiet way, and it took him a second to realize that it reminded him of the way he used to look at his father. Thoughts of quiet nights in front of the fire surfaced in his mind, time spend talking with his dad about battles he was going to fight and monsters he would kill. His father had always encouraged him and had made up story after story where Natsu was the hero who slayed the dragons and saved Fiore.

Natsu hadn’t been able to save him, though, and it still hurt.

“Yeah, bud,” he said quietly to Sting, hoping that bright smile never faded. “You’re gonna be awesome.” 

* * *

By the time the games were over for the day, the sun was setting, and both Rogue and Sting had fallen asleep. Sting was still curled up in Natsu’s lap, head tucked under Natsu’s chin, breaths slow and even with Natsu’s arms wrapped around him. Rogue had drifted off leaning against Gray, and when they’d nearly fallen over, Gray had pulled them into his lap. Now Rogue was fast asleep with their arms around Gray’s neck and their face pressed against his shoulder, with the frozen snake still clutched in one hand.

“Aww, you guys are so cute,” Lucy said, leaning against the railing across from Natsu. “Shouldn’t they be with their parents, though? Not that I’m complaining, they’re adorable.”

Natsu looked down at Sting’s wild curls as a warm sense of protectiveness flooded through him. “They’re with Sabertooth,” he said.

“Sabertooth?” Erza, who was sitting next to Gray, gave Natsu a surprised look. “You can’t be serious. They’re only children. As coarse as it sounds, what… use would Jiemma have for them?”

“They’re dragon slayers,” Natsu said quietly. Gray reached up and brushed Rogue’s hair out of their face, tucking it behind their ear to show off the fine, dark scales that ran down their face. Erza’s eyes widened and she leaned in, then looked over at Natsu.

“So… he’s keeping them for their magic?” she asked.

Natsu sighed, wrapping his arms tighter around Sting and trying to will away the uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. Children without families joined guilds all the time – Fairy Tail was the perfect example. But Sabertooth had never given an indication of being anything other than ruthless, and from what they’d seen, it was no place for children.

Unless those children had the potential to be powerful.

“That’s awful,” Lucy said softly, giving Natsu a sympathetic look. “They’re not weapons.”

“We can’t prove anything,” Natsu said. Sting shifted on his lap, turning and pressing his face to Natsu’s chest. Natsu’s leg had been slowly going numb for the last hour, but he refused to move.

“I didn’t know there were other dragon slayers,” Erza said as she studied Sting’s scales. “Are they like you? Or…”

She trailed off, but they all knew that she was referring to Laxus and the lacrima that gave him his powers. Natsu clearly remembered the day Laxus had disappeared with Ivan – it was the first time Natsu had ever seen Gramps look scared. Laxus had reappeared six months later with a scar on his chest and a bitter scent of dragon magic and had refused to speak to anyone but Freed for months.

“I don’t know,” Natsu said honestly. The question had been plaguing him all afternoon, and he still hadn’t been able to figure it out. “They don’t… smell right.”

“What do you mean?” Gray, who usually teased Natsu about his heightened senses and tendency to find people by smelling for them, looked concerned.

“It’s…” Natsu frowned. “Gajeel and Wendy have a specific scent—it’s like a color? Like a dragon but a color at the same time. Wendy’s blue, Gajeel’s gray. Laxus has it too but it’s different, like, uh… cherry-flavored soda instead of actual cherries. But it’s still cherries. Sort of.” He looked back down at the sleeping boy in his arms. “They’re different.”

“Different how?”

“I don’t know, and it’s driving me crazy. Something’s not right, but I don’t know what it is.”

Rogue yawned, wrapping their arms tighter around Gray’s neck and making a sleepy sound. The expression on Gray’s face was soft as he let Rogue get comfortable, and it made something warm spark low in Natsu’s stomach. He tried desperately to ignore it, tucking it away with all the other feelings for Gray that made his cheeks hot and his chest tight.

“There they are!” A voice came from behind them and Natsu turned to see a young woman about their age with silver-white hair running up the stadium steps. “I’m so glad you found them,” she panted, out of breath when she finally reached them. “I was so worried.”

“Yukino?” Lucy asked, frowning, and Natsu realized that she was the other celestial mage from Sabertooth.

“Yes, I’m so sorry.” She gave Gray and Natsu both a grateful look. “They weren’t back at the inn and Jiemma was—” She cut herself off and gave them a tired smile. “Thank you for taking care of them. This one—” she gestured at Sting, who burrowed deeper against Natsu’s chest “—can be a handful.”

“He was fine,” Natsu insisted, fighting against the urge to hold Sting tighter, to take him and run away from this woman who seemed kind but afraid. “He said they—”

“They’re here because they said they couldn’t sit with you,” Gray interrupted, voicing Natsu’s thoughts in a much icier tone. “We found them in the marketplace. Alone.”

Yukino’s expression turned regretful. “They were supposed to stay at the inn and watch on the lacrima,” she said quietly.

“By themselves?” Gray glared. “They’re _five.”_

“I know that,” Yukino snapped, immediately sighing and rubbing her face. “I’m sorry. It’s been a long day. Thank you for keeping them safe.” She looked at Natsu, then added, “He really looks up to you. I’m sure he was very excited to finally meet you.”

“He’s a sweet kid,” Natsu said softly. The frustration at not being able to figure out the strangeness of the two children was compounded by the sinking sensation in his stomach at the idea of relinquishing them to this woman. “They’re dragon slayers,” he said, looking up at Yukino. “Where did—how did—”

“I have to go,” Yukino interrupted, glancing behind her furtively. She wrung her hands, and everything about her exuded an aura of anxious fear. “Please. I have to bring them home.”

“Is something wrong?” Erza asked, frowning as her hand rested where her sword would normally be sheathed. “Are you in trouble?”

Yukino shook her head. “No, it’s just late. I need to get them back.”

She reached out her arms to Natsu, giving him a pleading look, and he hesitated before nodding and slowly relinquishing his hold on Sting. Sting made a quiet, sleepy sound as Yukino shifted him onto one hip, then pulled out one of her celestial keys. A second later, Libra appeared, giving Yukino an irritated look before she saw the sleeping kids.

“I’ll take them,” she said to Gray, who looked ready to knock her down the stands with his ice. Natsu could see the muscles in his jaw tighten as he looked down at Rogue, then back at Libra, and finally to Natsu. There was a pleading look on his face and it made Natsu’s heart ache, but he gave Gray a tiny nod. They couldn’t just keep the kids – they already had a home, and even if the idea of them being with Sabertooth made Natsu want to punch someone, it wasn’t his call to make.

“Thank you,” Yukino said softly as Gray reluctantly attempted to lift Rogue from his lap. Rogue’s arms tightened around his neck and they made a soft, protesting sound, and the angry lines of Gray’s face softened. Eventually Rogue let go and Libra took them, and Gray sat back down, shifting closer to Natsu.

“Thank you,” Yukino said again, giving Lucy a quick nod before turning away. As she walked away with the young dragon slayers, Natsu couldn’t help but feel like he was making a terrible mistake.


	2. just like me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natsu and Gray are both unsettled by the revelation about Sting and Rogue's dragon slaying powers, and Gray realizes he has something in common with Rogue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> remember when i said fuck canon? *super* fuck canon. gray has his devil slaying powers even though this is the gmg and tartaros hasn't happened. will i explain at some point? maybe. 
> 
> chapter art  
> [](https://www.flickr.com/photos/142370976@N04/50548991068/in/dateposted-public/)

The walk back to the inn was quiet. Erza and Lucy quickly slipped into a recap of the day’s events, but Natsu was edgy and distracted, still trying his hardest to figure out what had felt wrong about the two boys.

“You’re gonna hurt yourself if you think too hard.” Gray appeared beside Natsu and bumped his shoulder, knocking him out of step.

“Hilarious.” Natsu nudged him back, but it lacked the usual enthusiasm of their bickering.

“I try.” Gray shoved his hands into his pockets, staying next to Natsu as they made their way through the dark streets. He didn’t say anything, which wasn’t unusual for him, but Natsu felt like there was a weight behind the lack of words.

“It doesn’t feel right,” Natsu finally said once they had arrived at the inn and the girls had headed in to sleep. He leaned against the wall next to Gray and stared up at the sky. The sun had set, and the sky was a dark tapestry littered with pinpricks of stars. “I dunno why it’s bugging me so much. We weren’t much older when we joined Fairy Tail.”

Gray nodded, absently patting his pocket where he used to keep his cigarettes. Natsu batted his hand away, trying to ignore the warm spark when their fingers touched.

_It doesn’t mean anything,_ Natsu thought as he pulled his hand back and shoved it in his pocket. _He’s your best friend._

Gray didn’t answer for a while. The silence that settled between them was easy and familiar, and Natsu felt himself unconsciously leaning closer to Gray. Everyone always teased Natsu about how much he talked, but when he was alone with Gray, it didn’t feel necessary. The urgent need to fill the air with cheerful words was replaced by a deep, quiet sense of familiarity that felt like home.

“I think,” Gray said after a while, keeping his gaze on the sky, “it feels wrong because they’re alone. I mean, not _alone,_ but there aren’t any other kids in their guild.” He kicked at a rock, watching it bounce across the street and clatter down into the gutter. “They’re so young. And nobody’s looking out for them.”

“Yukino is,” Natsu pointed out, and Gray nodded. “But she seems…”

“Afraid?”

“Mm. She doesn’t really fit with them either.” Natsu sighed, prodding at a bruise that was still forming on his ribs. It was courtesy of a vicious kick from Orga during their fight that morning – one that Natsu and Gray had nearly lost to Sabertooth’s ruthless tactics.

Silence fell between them again. The soft chill that normally radiated from Gray was tempered by Natsu’s heat, keeping them both comfortably warm in the cool spring air. Natsu absently held out his hand and summoned a small flame, running it back and forth across his knuckles. Gray blew a stream of frosty air at it, and it froze for a second, glinting orange and gold in the dim light of the streetlamp.

“I think Sting’s trans,” Gray said as the flame went out.

Natsu raised an eyebrow, tipping his head to look at the soft expression on Gray’s face. Natsu still remembered the day he’d come out, even though it was years ago. They’d been nine or ten, sparring as usual, and Droy had told Natsu that he shouldn’t hit girls. Gray had yelled that he wasn’t a girl, said some words that he’d probably picked up from Gildarts, then punched Droy and stormed away from the guild. Natsu had followed him down to the river and they’d spent the afternoon together, carefully holding hands and watching the water sparkle in the afternoon sun.

Nothing had changed. Gray was still Gray, and Natsu had still loved him just as fiercely.

“How do you know?”

Gray shrugged. “I dunno, something…” He trailed off, gesturing vaguely. Natsu nodded. He’d known right away that Rogue wasn’t a boy or a girl, just like Freed, but he couldn’t quite explain how.

“I wish they could come with us,” Natsu said. “There’s something off – not just about Sabertooth, about them. I can’t figure it out and it’s driving me crazy.”

“You could try to talk to Yukino,” Gray suggested. “Not to take them or anything, just to maybe, I dunno, offer to help them. Train them, I mean. With the dragon slayer stuff. Jiemma might go for that if that’s what he’s… keeping them for.”

“That’s… actually a good idea.”

“I happen to have those sometimes.”

“Only when you’re inspired by my brilliance.”

Gray laughed – a rare, quiet sound that made Natsu’s cheeks warm and his stomach twist in a gentle, familiar way.

“C’mon,” Gray said, pushing himself off the wall and nudging Natsu’s arm. “It’s late, let’s go to bed.”

Natsu swallowed back the disappointment that washed over him – he wanted to stay here, shoulders touching, talking quietly in the night. He liked having Gray to himself. It happened so rarely now that they were adults, and Natsu missed the afternoons they used to spend by the river. He missed holding hands. He missed falling asleep together under the afternoon sun and waking up with his head on Gray’s shoulder.

“I’ll be right in,” he said, forcing himself to smile.

Gray frowned. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” Natsu said quickly. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

* * *

“You shouldn’t drink so much of that; you’re going to have a heart attack.”

Gray glared half-heartedly at Lucy over his fourth cup of coffee. Even with that much caffeine flowing through him, he was still exhausted. Sleep had evaded him for most of the night. At first, he’d spent his time waiting for Natsu to come inside, wishing he’d stayed out with him. Then, once Natsu had finally crawled into the bed across from Gray and was snoring softly, the nightmares had started.

Gray hadn’t dreamed about his mom in a long time. He’d woken up in the early hours of the morning, skin and sheets covered in a thick layer of frost, and had been surprised to find tears frozen to his cheeks.

“’m fine,” he mumbled. “Stupid beds are uncomfortable.”

Lucy nodded sympathetically as she sat down at the table across from him. The inn had its own small kitchen, and Gray was grateful for the option to eat here, mostly alone, instead of heading to the market to find food with everyone else. He still felt unsettled and wasn’t quite ready to face the world.

“Are you okay?” Lucy’s gentle question made the fragile barrier around Gray’s heart splinter a little and he sighed, dropping his head into his hands. Somehow, she was always able to see past his bullshit.

“Just bad dreams.”

“Is it because of the kids?”

Gray peeked up at her. “You’re freakishly perceptive, you know that, right?”

Lucy laughed, poking at her pancakes. “So that’s a yes, then.”

“I guess.” Gray rubbed his face. “I dunno. They’re little and alone.” The words stuck in his throat and he bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself together. “It just…”

“Reminds you of yourself?”

“Would you _stop_ that?”

“Nope.”

Gray groaned. “Yes, okay? And I know a lot of us had shitty childhoods, but it made me think about my mom, and how it sucks they don’t have their parents. That’s all.”

Lucy reached across the table and took Gray’s hand, squeezing it gently. “It’s okay to miss your mom,” she said gently. “I miss mine, too. And I know that Natsu’s thinking about his dad. You’re not alone, Gray.”

He let out a noisy breath and tipped his head back to stare at the ceiling. “Yeah, I know.” He squeezed her hand, giving her a small half-smile before letting go and grabbing his coffee again. The taste was bitter as he downed it in one gulp, then stood up and pushed his chair away from the table.

“You’d better get going,” Lucy said, gesturing at the clock on the wall behind him. “I’m pretty sure you’re up first this morning.”

“Mm.” Gray stretched, then leaned across the table and quickly kissed the top of Lucy’s head. He pulled away before she could say anything, turning toward the door so she couldn’t see the redness in his cheeks. “See you later?” For some reason it came out as a question, almost seeking reassurance.

Of course, Lucy provided it. “I’ll be cheering for you,” she said. “Good luck!”

* * *

The fight was exhausting. Gray was matched one-on-one against someone named Renne from a guild he couldn’t even remember, and the lack of sleep caught up to him halfway through the fight. Something hit him hard in the forehead and he stumbled backward, blinking when blood dripped into his eyes.

_C’mon, Princess._ Natsu’s voice filled Gray’s mind and for a moment, he thought it was his imagination. Then he glanced up into the stands and realized that Natsu was staring down at him with Max by his side, borrowing his telepathic magic. _You’ve got this._

Gray shook his head to clear his blurred vision, launching a barrage of ice blades from his hands as Renne teleported behind him. Another hit landed on his jaw and he grunted in pain, stumbling forward and cursing under his breath. Frustration and embarrassment washed over him as blood filled his mouth.

_The kids are watching._ Natsu’s voice appeared again. _Look up._

Gray spun around, gaze moving from Natsu’s grinning face to the enormous screen that panned across the crowd. Right now, it was focused on Sabertooth, and there, leaning against the railing, were Sting and Rogue. Sting had a wild grin on his face and was bouncing up and down in excitement, turning to talk to Yukino as he pointed at Gray. Rogue was standing behind him, looking much more subdued, but when Gray realized they were still holding the snake he’d made, something warm flooded through him.

_Fuck this,_ he thought, spitting blood onto the ground and turning back to Renne. _I’m not gonna lose._ Then he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

As soon as he thought about it, the devil slayer magic he’d been ignoring for so long started to thrum under his skin. An anticipation grew along with the power, layered with an irritated almost-whisper of, _why did you wait so long, let me out, let me free, let me destroy._

Gray gritted his teeth, pushing back against the destructive desires of the magic. It itched and stung, just like every time he called on it, pushing at him like it didn’t quite fit in his body. The black marks raced across his skin like ink on parchment, twisting in patterns that Gray still didn’t understand. He didn’t use the magic often – even after a year, the new powers still unsettled him.

He exhaled, letting the tension and fatigue flow out of his body, then looked up at Renne again. Everything about her was sharper. Gray could see her magic now; a purplish-blue aura that darted around her, quick and nimble. It tasted bitter, overpowering the coppery tang of blood that clung to the inside of his mouth.

A look of surprise appeared on her face that was quickly replaced by disgust, and she cursed as she charged at him. Her magic flowed just ahead of her, and Gray watched the movements carefully, stepping out of the way of her attack. She stumbled uncertainly, then glared at him as she disappeared in a burst of light.

Gray closed his eyes, letting the magic flow out of him like a sixth sense, feeling through the air until it found a heartbeat. He whipped around as the magic snapped back to him, crystallizing along his arms until sharp blades spread from his fingers to elbows. Renne appeared exactly where he’d expected, and her nasty grin was quickly replaced by a look of surprise when he caught her blow one-handed and tossed her to the ground.

A hungry sensation raced through Gray at the expression on her face, but he pushed it back, refusing to give in to the vicious desires of his magic. The commentators shouted something, and a cheer spread through the crowd, but it all turned to a dull roar as Gray pushed the magic out again, letting it crystallize into a group of wicked-looking ice shards that hung around Renne.

“What the hell kind of magic is this?” she hissed, pushing herself to her feet. The shards moved closer to her, bathing her in the bruised purple light of the devil slayer’s ice.

“Mine,” Gray said simply. Then he closed his fist and detonated the ice. It exploded into thousands of tiny fragments that whipped around Rennee, sharp and deadly. She swore as one of them nicked her arm, then scowled at Gray and teleported away.

He closed his eyes again, following the magic as it moved. It darted back and forth around him and through the air, leaving behind a sour, acidic smell, then stopped on near the edge of the stadium. Gray quickly dropped to one knee, pressing his hands to the ground and sending out a shockwave that culminated in a mass of razor-sharp ice spikes exploding underneath where Rennee reappeared.

She disappeared again and Gray could feel her anger and resentment, a dark blue color seething through the lines of her magic. It made her even easier to track. He kept his eyes closed, shifting to follow each teleport and block it with the hungry magic that flowed through him.

A few attempts later, he caught her. She materialized into a prison of dark purple ice that raced across her skin until it covered her torso and pinned her arms to her chest. She stumbled forward, landing on her knees and not standing again.

The commentator’s voices were fuzzy as a cheer raced through the stadium and the Fairy Tail logo filled the screen. Gray exhaled in relief as he released the magic around Renne, pulling it back to him and letting it dissolve. The marks quickly disappeared into his skin, leaving him worn out and oddly cold.

“Freak,” Renne hissed as she stumbled to her feet. “That magic is evil. What the hell is wrong with you?”

Gray didn’t have an answer for her, and he dropped his gaze to the ground as she turned on her heel and walked away.

_I knew you could do it._ Natsu’s voice appeared in Gray’s head again and he looked up to see the stupid, brilliant smile that always made his heart ache. _You looked pretty badass, too._ Gray was glad he was far enough away from Natsu that he couldn’t see the embarrassed flush that crept into his cheeks. _I think you’ve got a new fan,_ Natsu added, nodding to the screen again.

The camera had panned to the left, but the edge of the screen still caught the Sabertooth viewing area. Sting had been cut out of the picture, but Rogue was still there, clutching the snake to their chest and gazing down at Gray with a wide-eyed look of adoration. The warm feeling from earlier swelled in Gray’s chest again – for some reason, that look was worth more than all the cheers from the rest of the stadium.

* * *

The dizzy, uncomfortable feeling that always appeared after using the devil slayer magic plagued Gray for the rest of the day. He tried his best to shake it off and cheer for his team, but the feeling dug its claws into him and wouldn’t let go.

_Freak._

_Evil._

_Demon._

The echo of Renne’s voice drifted around in his mind, next to the headache and the unsettling feeling of his skin not fitting quite right.

“You okay?” Natsu asked once they’d left the stadium for the day. The evening sky was a soft pink and cast gentle shadows across the cobblestone street. The market was closed for the evening and the quiet was a calm reprieve from the shouts and excitement of the games.

“Why does everyone keep asking me that?” Gray grumbled. “I’m fine.”

“Liar.” Natsu gave him a sideways look but Gray refused to return it. “You look like shit.”

Gray snorted. “Thanks.”

“It’s what I’m here for.” Gray caught Natsu’s grin out of the corner of his eye. “Seriously, though. You used the magic.”

Gray’s stomach twisted. “Of course I used magic,” he said quickly. “It’s called the Grand _Magic_ Games.”

“That’s not what I meant, idiot, and you know it.” 

Gray sighed, shoving his hands deeper into his pockets. He missed being able to hold Natsu’s hand. They’d done it for years, and the gentle warmth of Natsu’s palm against his had always been enough to make Gray feel safe. Then they’d grown up and it had started to feel like something else, and it hurt Gray too much to keep touching Natsu and knowing he couldn’t have him like that. 

“I just—”

Gray’s words were interrupted by a yell, and a familiar voice shouting, “Stop it!”

“Sting?” Gray frowned at Natsu, looking around the empty market for the little boy. It took a second and another shout for him to see the head of curly blond hair on the other side of the fountain in the center of the square. 

“Are they out here _again_ by themselves?” Natsu asked, sighing in exasperation as they both quickened their pace and headed toward Sting. “I swear, I’m gonna—”

“Leave them _alone!”_

Sting yelled again, and they arrived at the fountain just in time to see someone shove him. It was a boy who looked to be a couple years older than Sting and Rogue, and an ugly look crossed his face as Sting stumbled backward.

“He’s stupid and you are too,” the boy said, hands clenching into fists. A terrified-looking Rogue stood just behind Sting, and a spark of protective anger flared in Gray’s chest. Sting’s cheeks were red, and he looked like he was about to cry, but he didn’t back down. His hands shook as the boy took a step toward him.

“Hey!” Natsu’s shout caught the boy’s attention as he stepped forward, and he whipped around to face them. His eyes widened when he realized who Natsu was. “What do you think you’re—”

Before Gray could grab him, the boy was gone, darting out of the market and into the maze of alleys that wound through the city.

There was a moment of silence, and then Sting burst into tears.

“Hey bud.” Natsu’s voice was gentle as he crouched down next to Sting. “Are you okay?” Sting shook his head, and Natsu made a sad sound, pulling the little boy into a hug. “It’s okay,” Natsu said softly as Sting pressed his face into his shoulder. “You’re safe.”

Gray turned to Rogue, who was staring uncertainly at Sting and Natsu. Gray hesitated, not quite sure if he should step in or let Natsu handle it. Kids weren’t his forte – even with Asuka he sometimes felt awkward and out of place, unsure of how to respond to her exuberance and desire to play.

Then Rogue rubbed their face and Gray realized they were about to cry as well.

“Hey, c’mere,” Gray said gently, holding out his hand. Rogue stared at Sting for a few more seconds, then cautiously took Gray’s hand and followed him over to the fountain. Gray sat down on the edge and lifted Rogue up to sit beside him, surprised by how light they were. Rogue quickly curled up against him as they sniffled and tried to hide their tears.

“Is Sting in trouble?”

“Of course not,” Gray reassured them, wrapping his arm around them as they snuggled closer to him. The easy trust that Rogue seemed to have in him made Gray feel warm and important. “That kid was a jerk,” he said. “Neither of you did anything wrong. Did he hurt you?”

Rogue shook their head, sniffing and wiping their face with their sleeve. “He said my eyes was weird,” they said quietly. Anger flared up in Gray’s chest again and he contemplated chasing the kid down. “Sting telled him to go away but he didn’t listen. Why he was mean?”

“I don’t know,” Gray said honestly. “Sometimes people aren’t very nice and there isn’t a good reason for it.”

Rogue didn’t answer, just rested their head against Gray’s shoulder and played with the frayed edge of their sleeve. Gray looked back at Natsu, who was still crouched next to Sting with a hand on his arm. Sting had stopped crying and his face was set in a stubborn frown, and Gray almost laughed when he realized it was the same look Natsu had always worn at that age.

“You’re nice,” Rogue said, pulling Gray’s attention back to them. “I like you.”

Gray stilled, not quite sure why the words made his cheeks burn. “I like you too,” he said carefully. He looked back at Natsu, who had managed to get Sting to smile, then back down at Rogue. He felt wildly out of his element and he had no idea how to make Rogue feel better. Then he thought of the way Rogue’s face had lit up at the snake sculpture he’d made the day before.

“Hey, you wanna see something cool?”

Rogue looked up at him, half of their face hidden behind a curtain of dark hair. “See what?”

Gray held out both hands, summoning his magic as slowly as he could. Snowflakes drifted up and around his palms as they started to glow with a faint blue light. Rogue’s face immediately brightened with excitement and they leaned forward, staring at the magic.

“You can make a snake again?” they asked as they gazed at the soft blue light.

“Sure,” Gray said, relaxing as Rogue’s tearful expression transformed into a small, shy smile. “I can make anything you want.”

“Anything?” Rogue’s eyes widened further.

“Yep.” Gray moved his fingers and the ice twisted into a snake again, then into a thin, delicate snowflake, then into a small cat. Rogue watched the whole time, head tilted to the side, entranced by the movements.

“You can do it black?” they asked, looking down at their own hands. 

Gray frowned. “Black?” Rogue touched Gray’s forearm and his eyes widened as he realized they meant the devil slayer marks.

“That’s sort of—”

“Like mine.” Rogue held his palm out next to Gray’s and a tiny, black wisp appeared. “See?” Gray watched as it flickered and twisted, then dropped back down onto Rogue’s hand. A bit of it spread out under their skin for a moment, just like the marks on Gray’s arms. “It’s only little cause I did a big one and it scareded Yukino but it was an accident. I didn’t mean to.”

The uncertainty and shame in Rogue’s voice made Gray’s heart ache.

“I’m sure she was just surprised,” he reassured Rogue. Then he pushed away his exhaustion and slowly pulled at the devil slayer magic until a pattern of dark marks swirled across his arms. The soft blue glow in his palms darkened as he focused the magic, keeping it from overwhelming him. He jumped when he felt something on his wrist, but it was just Rogue’s fingertips, tracing the pattern of the marks.

“Show me yours again,” Gray said, nudging Rogue’s hands. They hesitated, then held up their palm next to Gray’s, summoning another wisp of shadow that danced along their fingers. “You can make it bigger,” Gray said. Rogue gave him a dubious look. “It’s okay, I promise.”

“’kay.” Rogue squirmed forward, bringing their other hand up as the shadow grew, spiraling and flickering until it was nearly the size of a house cat. Gray nudged it with his own magic, drawing the shadow into the cloud of dark snowflakes.

“See?” He smiled at the delighted expression on Rogue’s face. “It’s not scary. It’s pretty.” The marks on his arms shifted again and he felt the magic trying to stretch. “What should we make?” he asked, trying to ignore the sensation.

“A frog?” Rogue asked. “I like frogs.”

Gray laughed, shifting his magic alongside Rogue’s and molding it into the shape of a small frog that fit in the palm of their hand. Instead of the bright, clear blue from the other day, this one was deep purple, with wisps of shadow twisted inside the ice. It was beautiful, in a strange way.

“Thank you.” Rogue tipped their head onto Gray’s shoulder, letting out a happy sigh and snuggling close as they ran their fingers over the frog. He exhaled, letting the magic sink back into his skin as he wrapped his arm around Rogue again.

They sat in silence for a while as Gray watched Natsu and Sting. Natsu had moved to sit cross-legged on the ground and Sting was in his lap, still red-eyed but no longer crying. The soft, fond feelings that Gray tried so hard to keep to himself surfaced easily as he watched the two of them. Natsu’s smile was genuine and his hands were gentle, and he was beautiful in the shadows of the setting sun.

“All right, you two,” Natsu said eventually, standing and scooping Sting into his arms. “Oof, you’re heavy.”

“I’m _five,”_ Sting said, managing to look indignant even while wrapping his arms around Natsu’s neck. “That’s big.”

“That is big,” Natsu agreed, giving Gray a soft smile as he stood as well, holding a sleepy Rogue in his arms. “Now, let’s go find Yukino.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alternate chapter art!   
> [](https://www.flickr.com/photos/142370976@N04/50549847107/in/dateposted-public/)


	3. hold my hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natsu and Gray work through their feelings as they fight to win the Games.

Jiemma refused to let Natsu train the kids.

“They have everything they need here,” he sneered, refusing to even look in Natsu’s direction. Natsu ground his teeth – the irritation that had been mounting ever since they’d found Sting and Rogue alone in the square was starting to twist in his stomach and make him want to scream. They hadn’t even been welcomed inside. Jiemma had summoned Yukino to take Sting and Rogue away and had nearly closed the door before Natsu had been able to broach the question.

“There aren’t many Dragon Slayers,” Natsu tried again. Something cool brushed his clenched fist – a puff of Gray’s magic as a gentle reminder to keep himself composed. “It’s a unique magic, we—”

“Don’t presume to lecture me,” Jiemma interrupted curtly. “You’d be better off focusing on your own guild – that is, if you want to win tomorrow.”

Then the door slammed shut and Natsu and Gray were left in the quiet dark of the street.

“That _motherfucker,”_ Natsu hissed, glaring at the door. “I’m gonna—”

“Natsu.” Gray grabbed his arm and tugged him away from the inn, shaking his head. “Use your brain. You can’t do anything.”

“I can kick him in the teeth,” Natsu suggested.

“And forfeit the games?”

Natsu growled, holding on to the anger for a few more seconds before sighing and rubbing his face. “I hate it when you’re right,” he muttered.

“I know,” Gray said, bumping his shoulder as they turned and headed back toward their own inn.

They both fell silent as they walked, letting the gentle quiet of the night surround them both. Natsu chewed his lip, willing himself not to think about the distressed look on Sting’s face when Yukino had led him and Rogue away toward their rooms.

“I just wish…”

“I know.” Gray’s shoulder brushed Natsu’s again. “I wonder what happened to their parents.”

Natsu shook his head. He’d been trying not to think about it. He couldn’t push the thoughts away, though – he’d never been good at letting things go. Everything raced through his mind, a jumbled tangle of memories and worries and the fear that he was making a terrible mistake.

He jumped when a cool set of fingers brushed his, and the heat was immediately back in his cheeks, rushing up his arms and across his chest where it made his heartbeat stutter. Gray moved to pull away, but before he could change his mind, Natsu returned the touch. They stayed like that for a second, both keeping their gaze ahead as they walked, before Gray slowly, carefully ran his fingertips across Natsu’s palm.

Natsu let out a shaky breath at the gentle touch. It pulled him back to warm summer afternoons at the river, lying on their backs side-by-side while they held hands and found shapes in the clouds. The unsettled sensation in his stomach twisted into tentative excitement, and he slipped his fingers between Gray’s. They hadn’t held hands in so long, but it felt so natural, like they fit together. Belonged together.

“They’ll be okay,” Gray said softly, tightening his hand around Natsu’s. They ducked out of the alley and onto one of the larger streets, making their way through the yellow pools of light under the streetlamps.

“I hope so,” Natsu said. He let Gray pull him a little closer. They were silent for a bit as they made their way back to the inn, and Gray had just opened the front door when Natsu said, “I miss my dad.”

He was glad Gray couldn’t see him in the dark. The unexpected urge to cry hit him as he thought of his father – of their long afternoons in the forest trying to tame Natsu’s wild powers. Remembering the proud look on his dad’s face when he’d managed to summon a controlled flame for the first time made Natsu’s heart hurt.

Tears welled in Natsu’s eyes as Gray ran his thumb comfortingly up the side of his hand. “Sorry,” he said roughly, wiping his face with his sleeve. “I dunno what—why—”

Gray shook his head, a movement Natsu could barely see in the thin moonlight that spilled through the door. He tugged on Natsu’s hand and pulled him inside the inn, letting the door swing shut behind them. Then he glanced down the hallway toward the common room.

Natsu tensed, swallowing hard before managing, “I don’t want—they’ll worry, I just...”

“I know.” Gray nudged him down to the opposite end of the hallway. While the team had been sharing a larger space out of habit, several private rooms were available and empty.

Gray hesitated in the doorway of the last room on the left. He didn’t turn on the light and Natsu was glad for it. The tears were still coming, hot and spilling down his cheeks. He didn’t trust himself to talk so he just squeezed Gray’s hand instead.

“C’mere.” Gray kicked off his shoes, then let go of Natsu’s hand and settled down on the far side of the bed. Natsu followed him, curling up on his side. They lay like that for a few moments with a gap between them before Natsu reached out and touched Gray’s hand.

Gray immediately held both arms out and Natsu shuffled into the embrace, letting out a muffled sob as Gray pulled him close.

“’m sorry,” he said, sniffing and wiping his face with his sleeve. “I dunno why I’m so—fuckin’...”

“Shut up,” Gray said, voice soft and affectionate.

Natsu managed a laugh through the tears, shifting even closer and pressing his face to Gray’s shoulder. The awkwardness and embarrassment he expected never came, just a warm sense of comfort. Gray ran his fingers lightly down Natsu’s arm, letting a chill follow the touch. It calmed the racing in Natsu’s mind but didn’t stop the tears. They were like a living thing – now that he’d started, he couldn’t stop. He hadn’t cried in such a long time.

“I’m sorry,” Gray said quietly once Natsu’s shoulders had finally stopped shaking. “I didn’t mean to bring it up.”

Natsu shook his head. “’s okay,” he said hoarsely. “I don’t want—it was so hard when dad died.” The word stuck in his throat. He could feel Gray’s nod against the top of his head. “They’re so little, and Jiemma’s a fucking…” He trailed off, then quietly added, “I just feel useless.”

“You’re the farthest thing from useless,” Gray said, so quietly that Natsu barely heard it. He seemed like he was going to say something else, but instead just exhaled and shifted to grab the pillow and tuck it under their heads. Natsu curled up closer against him. Something about the dark made it feel safe.

They both stared out the window for a while, watching soft wisps of cloud pass across the faint outline of stars in the sky. The moon cast a soft white glow that spilled into the room.

“Why did we stop doing this?” Natsu asked before he could stop himself. He gestured between them vaguely.

Gray froze for a second, then let out a noisy sigh. “I dunno.” His fingers drifted across Natsu’s arm, drawing gentle patterns on his skin. “It was easier when we were kids. It didn’t…” He hesitated. “It wasn’t confusing.”

“But it’s confusing now?”

Gray nodded.

“Why?”

The question hung between them for a while with no answer, and eventually Natsu started to sink into sleep. Gray shifted to hold him closer, then a cool set of lips brushed his forehead.

“Go to sleep,” Gray said softly. “We’ve got a tournament to win tomorrow.”

* * *

Gray had no idea if they were winning.

He exhaled, pressing a hand to the bruise on his stomach and prodding gingerly at his ribs. Nothing seemed broken, but everything ached. He tipped his head back against the wall of the alley, staring up at the sky as he tried to catch his breath. The orb in his hand flickered and pulsed as it pulled at his magic.

“Looks like you’re almost out of time.” A quiet, ominous voice came from the other end of the alley and Gray looked up to see Minerva standing there, hands on her hips. “I’ll take that.” She held her hand out for the orb and Gray scoffed.

“Like hell,” he growled. His fingers tightened on it and he cursed at himself for losing his jacket somewhere along the way. Pockets would have been useful right about now.

“How long have you had it?” Minerva asked coolly. “You look awful.”

Gray managed a laugh. He brushed his sweaty bangs out of his face, trying to summon more of his magic to bring his temperature down. The orb thrummed again, and he glared down at it. Minerva was right – he needed to hand it off soon before it completely drained the little magic he had left. But nobody was around, and he was so close to their base. Just a little further.

_“You love capture the flag,” Natsu had insisted when the final game had been announced. “We played it all the time when we were kids.”_

_“Yeah, but that flag wasn’t trying to kill me,” Gray had muttered._

Gray stared down at the orb, heat flushing to his cheeks as he thought about Natsu. Waking up together, legs tangled, holding hands, had been almost too much for him. He’d thought about running away, but Natsu had just held him tighter, so they’d watched the sunrise through the window together, instead.

“The rest of your team is down,” Minerva said, pulling Gray out of the memories. “And you can’t make it back on your own.”

“You’re full of shit.” Gray rolled his eyes at Minerva, wincing as he pushed himself away from the wall. The orb pulsed and he glared at it. It was a deep blue, but the surface was covered in thin white lines of frost where it was slowly siphoning his magic.

“How are you going to—”

“Shut up.” Gray glared at Minerva. “I’m trying to think.”

There was an indignant sound from her end of the alley, but he ignored it as he ran his gaze over the cracks in the opposite wall. He wasn’t sure if his end of the alley was blocked – Orga had chased him in here but hadn’t followed. He had no idea who was still left in the game.

“If you use any more of your magic, you’ll pass out.”

Gray turned to look at Minerva, narrowing his eyes as he studied her pale face. He had expected her to attack ruthlessly as usual, but it was clear that she had also already suffered the effects of an orb’s magic drain. There were four orbs in the game – one from each guild’s starting area – and the game ended when all four were in one zone, or the other teams had been eliminated.

“Come get it, if you want it so badly.” Gray held up the orb and grinned when Minerva’s hand twitched, but no magic appeared. “That’s what I thought.”

Then he darted to the other side of the alley, leaping up and digging the toe of his shoes into one of the narrow cracks. Years of chasing Natsu through the streets of Magnolia gave him the skills he needed to quickly scramble up the wall, and when he reached the roof, he started running and didn’t turn back.

From his new vantage point, Gray could see the arena more clearly. An enormous dome of one-way glass separated the contestants from the throngs of people watching from the stands, giving the illusion of being under a sunny summer sky. The area was split into four sections for each of the guild bases, and all of them were modeled after the twisting streets of Crocus. He could see a head of bright blue hair around one of the corners, quickly followed by a tidal wave that washed over two blocks of buildings. Lightning followed, arcing up into the sky, and Gray grinned. Laxus and Juvia’s new Unison Raid was sure to surprise more than a few people.

He took a few deep breaths through the pain of his bruised ribs, scanning the rest of the streets before dashing across the rooftop and jumping to the next building. The magic-draining power of the orb pulled at him, making his limbs heavy and his chest tight.

“Gray!” A shout from the ground caught his attention and he looked down to see Erza holding out her hand. She had a bruise on her forehead but otherwise looked fine. He exhaled in relief, taking a quick look around before tossing the orb down to her. “Natsu’s almost back at base,” she said as she caught the orb and made a face at the immediate power drain. “Go help him.”

When Gray caught up to Natsu he was backed against a wall. A thin shield of flame was the only thing blocking him from a barrage of Orga’s black lightning that arced and danced across the street. Just past Natsu was the base, and Gray could see Lucy standing in front of the platform with the indentations to hold the orbs. Scorpio was in front of her, blasting sand at Yukino and a spirit Gray didn’t recognize.

Gray placed a hand on the roof, quickly molding a ramp of ice that ended in another barrier in front of Natsu. He slid down it, landing next to Natsu and wincing at the pain in his ribs.

“How long have you had it?” he asked, gesturing to the orb. Natsu’s face was pale and bruised, and a thin sheen of sweat coated his skin. He leaned against the wall awkwardly, supporting himself on one leg. “You look like shit.”

“You’re one to talk,” Natsu managed. He hefted the orb in his hand. Bright orange flames flickered inside it.

“We’re almost there,” Gray said. He jumped as another blast of lightning hit his flimsy barrier, cracking it into pieces. Orga grinned at them. Black sparks crackled around him – he clearly hadn’t had any of his magic drained.

“Fuck,” Gray muttered.

“I have a really stupid idea,” Natsu said slowly. “But I need you to trust me.”

Gray sighed, reaching out and grabbing Natsu’s hand. “Always.”

“Don’t block it.”

Another blast of lightning burst from Orga’s hands and snaked toward them, and it took everything in Gray to hold back from shielding them from the attack. His trust in Natsu overrode the instincts though, and instead he closed his eyes and turned his head away.

The air around them crackled as Natsu opened his mouth and devoured the lightning. He gasped, tipping his head back as it coursed across his body and made his hairs stand on end. For a second he shivered, making a soft, pained sound, but then his flames flickered along his arms, tinged with a black-and-white glow.

_Oh._

Natsu opened his eyes, grinning at Orga as he pushed Gray behind him and opened his mouth. The lightning burst back across the street, mixed with the bright orange of Natsu’s flames. The blast hit Orga straight in the chest, hard enough to fling him back into the far wall and cause the stone to crack.

Then Natsu slumped against Gray, energy spent. “Your turn,” he managed.

Gray looked down at his hands where his magic pulsed weakly, then back up at Orga. He was stunned, but it wouldn’t last long. There wasn’t enough magic in Gray to get them to the base though – the last spell had nearly drained him.

Unless…

He clenched his hands into fists, closing his eyes and reaching down where the devil slayer magic lived. It burst up eagerly, tearing across his skin and filling him with the wild power that left him breathless. Dark purple energy crackled around the two of them as the black marks spread, banishing the exhaustion, and narrowing his focus to the distance between them and the base.

Gray moved quickly, grabbing the stone from Natsu. It shimmered, but the exhaustion he was expecting never happened. It couldn’t touch him. It couldn’t take this magic.

He crouched down, slamming his palm into the ground, and making a sheet of purplish-black ice that covered the street toward the base. “Hold on,” he said as he wrapped Natsu’s arm around his shoulder, then reached out behind them, blasting ice behind them that rocketed them forward.

It was exhilarating. They moved so fast that wind whipped across their face, sliding over the glass-like surface as Gray’s power carried them toward the goal. Natsu started to laugh – a bright sound that filled Gray with joy.

Another blast of Orga’s lightning raced toward them but Gray blocked it easily, freezing the bolt in midair. It hung there for a second, then fell to the ground and shattered. Within seconds they were across the line into the base, stumbling forward and up the stairs to the pedestal. Erza had beat them there and was standing next to Lucy, sending a barrage of swords toward Yukino and her serpent spirits.

“Go!” she shouted as soon as she saw them. “It’s the last one!”

A thunderous crack sounded behind them as Orga stormed forward, glowing and crackling with the brilliant power of his god slayer magic. His eyes were white, sparks flying from his fingertips as he summoned a dark cloud above him, and a ball of lightning started to crackle and form between his hands.

Gray pressed the orb back into Natsu’s palm and shoved him toward the pedestal, just as the torrent of lightning raced toward them. He turned back to Orga, holding out both hands and summoning all the magic he could muster. The devil slayer power tore out of him in a blast of shadows that slammed into the lightning and started to push it back. Orga snarled and stepped forward, but Gray shook his head, planting his feet and calling on all his magic. The marks slid down his forearms until his hands were entirely black. Power poured off him in waves, pushing at the lightning until hit Orga in the chest and slammed him to the ground.

Then the victory horn sounded, and Gray let the magic drop, collapsing to his knees.

A cheer rose around them as the dome over the stadium lifted, exposing the thousands of spectators in the stands. Gray’s vision was hazy, but he could just see the points tally for each of the teams. The bright purple of Fairy Tail slowly switched places with Sabertooth and moved into first place.

“The winner of the Grand Magic Games is Fairy Tail!”

Another roar burst through the spectators. The screen panned across the crowd, showing their teammates cheering and hugging each other. Then it slid over to Sabertooth. The entire guild looked sullen, except for Sting and Rogue. They were both leaning over the railing with enormous grins on their faces. Gray could tell that Sting was holding back the urge to jump up and down and wave at them – likely due to the harsh glare from Jiemma behind him.

A shadow appeared in front of Gray, and he looked up to see Natsu with his hands held out.

“We did it,” Natsu said, pulling Gray up and gripping his forearms tightly. They were both out of breath, panting from the exertion of the chase, sweaty and dirty and bleeding from various scrapes and bruises. Natsu’s smile was blinding, though. A thin sheen of purple ice clung to his hand where it touched Gray’s arm.

“We won.” Gray couldn’t help the grin that broke across his face. The lacrima screen was playing a recap of the event behind them, but Gray didn’t care. He couldn’t look away from the deep brown of Natsu’s eyes, the curve of his smile, the heat of his fingers on Gray’s arm. They stared at each other, hearts pounding, and then Gray grabbed Natsu by the front of his shirt and pulled him in to kiss him.

Natsu made a surprised sound, then moved closer, shifting his hand to the back of Gray’s neck and twining his fingers in his hair. His lips were soft and warm against Gray’s, moving eagerly like he’d been waiting for this forever. The roars and cheers from the crowd faded into the background. All Gray could feel was Natsu – his hands and his lips and the soft spot on his throat where his pulse fluttered frantically under Gray’s fingertips.

Then reality slammed back into Gray as he realized the lacrima screen was now trained on them and everyone was watching them kiss.

“Shit,” he whispered, cheeks immediately starting to burn. He didn’t pull away, though, just pressed their foreheads together. “Everyone’s looking.” 

“Don’t care,” Natsu said, grinning and bumping Gray’s nose with his own. “Let ‘em.”

* * *

The next few hours were a blur. Natsu held Gray’s hand tightly as the entire guild ran out into the arena to hug and cheer and tease them. Some of Gray’s devil slayer magic still clung to him – a soft purple glow that lit up his arms – and Natsu felt a deep sense of relief when Gray didn’t seem ashamed of it.

Natsu kissed him again, a small brush of lips against his cheek, and the smile that crossed Gray’s face made Natsu feel like he owned the world.

Eventually he had to let go of Gray’s hand. Late afternoon gave way to twilight, and there was a blur of healing, showering, and changing into formal clothing before heading to Mercurius for the formal ball. The castle gleamed, bright and colorful against the dark backdrop of the sky, and the gardens out front were lit with tiny lights that looked like fireflies.

It was nearly half an hour into the event when Natsu finally found Gray again. He was on the outskirts of the ballroom floor, leaning against a pillar and fidgeting with his sleeve. When he saw Natsu, the corner of his lip curved up in a smile.

“Hey,” Natsu said. Gray’s jacket was deep blue, almost the same color as his eyes, with intricate gold braiding along the edges. “You look…” Natsu trailed off as warmth rushed to his face.

“You too,” Gray said quickly. His cheeks flushed a light shade of pink.

They both stood there for a second, staring at the space between them, and then Natsu asked, “Wanna dance?”

Gray looked at the dance floor uncertainly, then gave a small nod and let Natsu take his hand.

“I’m not great at this,” Natsu admitted as he stumbled over the first few steps. Gray laughed at him, adjusting his hand, and shifting him to the right position.

“That’s because you’re a klutz.”

“I resent that,” Natsu stuck his tongue out at Gray, who rolled his eyes.

“You’re ridiculous,” he said. “Your shirt isn’t even done up right.” He reached out and touched the collar of Natsu’s pink shirt. He adjusted it, then let his fingers brush Natsu’s neck. Natsu let out a soft breath, then tipped his head into the touch and brushed hips lips against Gray’s palm.

Gray swallowed, keeping his eyes on Natsu’s as he tucked a stray strand of hair behind his ear. His cheeks were flushed, but Natsu wasn’t sure if that was from embarrassment or the champagne.

“We should probably talk,” Natsu said quietly as they moved across the dance floor.

“About?”

“You kissing me in front of sixty thousand people.”

“Ah. That.”

“Yeah. That.”

Gray hesitated, chewing his lip as he moved his hand down to Natsu’s shoulder again. “I, um. I wanted to. And it… you…” His cheeks flushed darker and he looked down at the floor. “You seemed like you… wanted to. Too. And it just, um. Seemed like a good idea at the time.”

“And what about now?” Natsu asked softly. He moved closer and ran his thumb across Gray’s knuckles. “Do you still…”

“Yes.” Gray quickly leaned in and pressed his lips to Natsu’s, just once, soft and sweet. Then he pulled back, blushing furiously. “I’ve wanted to for—a while, and I didn’t think… I wasn’t sure…”

His words were interrupted by an excited shout and something crashing into the back of Natsu’s legs. Gray caught him by the forearms and pushed him back to his feet.

“You winned!”

Sting stood behind them, bouncing on the balls of his feet with Rogue not far behind him. Rogue was dressed in a suit like Gray’s, with a red silk shirt and matching braiding along the sleeves. Their long hair was pulled up into a ponytail with a few strands falling in their face. Sting, on the other hand, had lost his jacket and was only wearing a button-down shirt in a soft shade of yellow. It was already dirty, and the sleeves were pushed up past his elbows.

“Hey, bud!” Natsu crouched down and Sting immediately launched himself into his arms, wrapping his arms around Natsu’s neck. “You two look fancy.”

“Yukino saided we had to.” Sting pulled back and made a face. “I don’t like it.”

Natsu laughed, brushing some of Sting’s wild curls out of his face. It looked like someone had tried to brush his hair, but it had a mind of its own. “That’s okay, I don’t like being fancy either.”

Rogue, who had been standing politely with their hands behind their back, moved around Natsu and Sting and stood next to Gray, staring up at him with wide eyes.

“You did the special magic again,” they said, an uncharacteristic note of excitement in their voice. “Like mine!” They hesitated for a second, then wrapped their arms around Gray’s legs and hugged him tightly. Natsu laughed as he watched Gray’s cheeks turn pink.

“Gray gived you a kiss,” Sting said seriously, staring into Natsu’s eyes. “Are you married?”

Gray made a choked sound and Natsu laughed. “No, we’re not married.”

“Oh.” Sting frowned. “Are you gonna get married?”

“Um.”

“Are you in true love?”

“Uh…”

“’cause Yukino read a book with Princess Buttercup and Westley and they were in love and kissed an’ then Westley got turned into a pirate and Buttercup was sposed to marry a guy who was mean but she didn’t want to ‘cause she said Westley was her true love and then Westley comed back in the end of the story and they kissed and rode horses. Did you ever ride a horse?”

Natsu laughed, ruffling Sting’s hair again as he stood up. “No, I haven’t ridden a horse,” he said, glad he was able to dodge the question of true love for the moment. “Are you hungry?” he asked before Sting could ask anymore awkward questions.

“Super hungry!” Sting exclaimed, jumping up and down. “The tables are tall and I want a cookie.”

_“Please,”_ Rogue said, looking at Sting with an air of exasperation. “You have to say please.”

“Please,” Sting said quickly. He reached out his arms to Natsu and pointed to the table. “Please I can have up and a cookie?”

“Sure you can.”

“Are little kids supposed to have cookies?” Gray asked, frowning. He had already lifted Rogue up onto his hip

“I’m not little!” Sting said indignantly. “We’re both big!”

“Yes, you are,” Natsu said, reaching down and lifting Sting into his arms. He swung him up above his head and settled Sting on his shoulders where he could see over the crowd. Then he grabbed Gray’s hand and squeezed it. “They’re going back to Jiemma after this,” he said with a grin. “They can have as many cookies as they want.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sting's talking about 'the princess bride' which is one of the few books where i will admit that the movie is better. if you haven't seen it, you should!
> 
> also i drew baby sting <3  
> [](https://www.flickr.com/photos/142370976@N04/50879242787/in/dateposted-public/)


	4. celebration and realizations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sabertooth and the kids disappear after the Games, and Natsu and Gray search for them everywhere. When they finally find them, they get to help Sting celebrate his sixth birthday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [](https://www.flickr.com/photos/142370976@N04/50967606141/in/dateposted-public/)
> 
> a little art (mine) to go with this chapter ^_^

Natsu and Gray didn’t see Sting and Rogue again for nearly six months.

The morning after the ball, they headed back to Sabertooth’s inn, but everyone was gone. The entire team had disappeared overnight, heading back to their mysterious guild hall that Natsu couldn’t find, no matter how hard he looked. They’d spent weeks after the games searching for it, but either nobody knew where it was, or nobody was willing to say.

Natsu and Gray refused to give up, though, and started taking jobs that were further and further from Magnolia, stopping in every unfamiliar town with the hope of finding the guild. Natsu wasn’t sure what he was planning to do once he found Sabertooth, but everything in him told him that he had to try.

* * *

“Where _are_ we?” Natsu asked as they walked through the towering gates of the latest unfamiliar city. He tipped his head back as he stared up at the enormous marble statues that lined the street. Each of them showed a mage in battle-stance, hands raised to the sky.

“Ciralto,” Lucy said, frowning at the map in her hands. “I think. Either that or Therea. That storm really threw us off track.”

Natsu hummed in agreement as he looked around. Their latest quest had taken them further from Magnolia than any of them had been before, and the trip there had lasted nearly two weeks. They’d completed everything successfully and had been halfway back to Magnolia when a massive storm had derailed their train.

That had been two days ago. They’d decided to walk for a while – it was spring, and once the storm cleared, it was nice enough to make camp in the woods. They’d failed to take into consideration how far west they’d gone, though, and now none of them had any idea where they were.

“If we find an inn, I’m sure they can help us out,” Erza suggested. Her luggage clattered along the cobblestones behind them. She turned to Natsu and raised her eyebrow knowingly, adding, “Or perhaps there’s a guild here?”

Natsu nodded, avoiding her questioning gaze as he continued to take in their surroundings. The road from the front gate lead down a wide street that was flanked on either side by tall apartments. Eventually it opened into a market, with roads branching off in every direction. A large building sat at the far end of the town, with a statue on the roof that Natsu couldn’t quite make out.

“We can ask around at the market,” Lucy said, folding the map and tucking it into her pocket. She hefted the bag on her shoulder and yawned, rubbing her eyes. “I need a bath and a nap.”

“You are smelling pretty—”

“Natsu Dragneel, don’t you dare finish that sentence.”

Natsu laughed, dancing out of the way of Lucy’s half-hearted smack to his shoulder. He drifted toward Gray, brushing the back of his hand and waiting for Gray to slide their fingers together. He could see the slight pink flush on Gray’s cheeks – even after six months together, Natsu knew that Gray still felt shy and uncertain about their relationship sometimes.

“C’mon,” Natsu said, giving Gray a small smile and tugging on his hand. “Let’s go find Lucy her bath.”

The market was packed. Vendors shouted from all around them, advertising everything from magic trinkets to exotic cheeses. People from all across Fiore were milling about, talking and eating and shopping.

“Maybe that way,” Erza suggested, pointing down one of the roads that looked like it led to an area with pubs and restaurants.

“Wait a sec,” Lucy interrupted, shading her eyes from the sun as she peered through the crowd. “I think that’s Yukino.”

“Really?” Excitement flared up in Natsu’s chest – if Yukino was here, maybe Sting and Rogue were, too. He squeezed Gray’s hands as he stood on his tiptoes, scanning the crowd for Yukino’s silver-white hair.

“Yukino!” Lucy shouted, waving over the crowd. Natsu didn’t see her, but he almost immediately heard an answering shout.

“Natsu!”

All Natsu had time to register was a flash of blond curls barrelling through the crowd before a pair of arms were wrapped around his waist. Then Sting was looking up at him with his bright blue eyes and a gap-toothed smile.

“Look! I losted a tooth ‘cause I’m six now and big!” Sting opened his mouth wider to show Natsu. Then he turned and grabbed Rogue’s hand, pulling them closer. “Rogue didn’t yet but they’re still five. Orga saided my sharp teeths was fangs and they’re gonna fall out too but I tolded him no ‘cause that’s my dragon teeths.” He poked at one of his pointy incisors and grinned at Natsu proudly.

“You’re right about that,” Natsu reassured Sting, crouching down in front of him. The anxiety he’d been carrying around since the Games lifted a little when Sting threw his arms around Natsu’s neck and hugged him tightly. He pressed a kiss to Sting’s curls, holding him tightly for a second before reaching out to Rogue. They sidled up for a shy hug, then shuffled back to Gray and leaned against his leg.

“I was six yesterday,” Sting said proudly as he pulled back from Natsu. “It was my birthday.”

“Wow,” Natsu said, “You’re getting super big! Did you do something fun?”

Sting’s expression darkened for a second as he shook his head. Then he looked back at Natsu with a small frown and asked, “Did you come visit ‘cause it was my birthday?”

Natsu froze, heart aching at the tentative hope in Sting’s eyes.

“Of course we did,” Gray interrupted, crouching down next to Natsu and holding his arms out. Sting threw himself into Gray’s arms for a hug.

“How did you know?” he asked when he finally let go.

“Magic,” Natsu said quickly. “Just like how we knew where to find you.” He looked up to see Yukino giving him a soft, grateful smile from where she was standing next to Lucy. “You ready to go do something fun?”

“Yeah!” Sting bounced up and down. “What we can do?”

“That’s up to you, bud,” Natsu said. “We can do whatever you want.”

* * *

Yukino was happy to help them find an inn.

“I’m glad you’re here,” she said to Natsu once all the bags were settled into their rooms. “I wanted to take him somewhere yesterday, but Jiemma insisted on training.” She gestured to Sting, who was busy telling Lucy an animated story about bumblebees while Rogue sat on one of the chairs, kicking their feet back and forth. “They missed you. Sting hasn’t stopped talking about you since the games.”

“We missed them too,” Natsu admitted. Part of him wanted to ask why Yukino hadn’t tried to contact him and Gray, but the mix of exhaustion and uncertainty on her face made him change his mind. “Are you okay?” he asked her. “At Sabertooth, I mean. I know it’s not my business, but it just seems...” He hesitated, not sure how to word his question.

“Like I don’t fit with the guild?” Yukino suggested with a small smile. Natsu nodded and she sighed. “I needed something – need something – that they can help me get. And then...” She looked over at Sting and Rogue with a fond smile.

“They’re lucky to have you,” Natsu said. He chewed his lip. “When did they join the guild? What happened?”

Yukino shook her head. “They were there before I joined. About a year ago.”

“They were _four?”_ Natsu asked incredulously. “Where are they from? What happened to their parents?”

Yukino shook her head sadly as she watched Sting climb up on the bed and start to bounce on it. Gray, who was standing nearby, raised an eyebrow at him and shook his head. Sting pouted, then immediately launched himself at Gray, who dropped the clothes he was folding and caught Sting at the last second.

“They don’t talk about it,” Yukino said. “Well, Rogue doesn’t talk about much as it is. Sting talks. A lot.” Natsu laughed. “He won’t talk about them, though. He just says they’re gone. I don’t know where Jiemma found them, and neither does anyone else. And there’s no way I’m going to ask.”

She shivered and rubbed at her arms. Lucy appeared beside her and touched her shoulder.

“You look exhausted,” Lucy said. Yukino laughed and gestured to the kids.

“Let us take them,” Natsu said. He turned to watch Gray, who was making faces as Sting poked his cheeks. “We’ll keep them safe and give you a bit of a break.”

Yukino looked hesitant but eventually nodded. “Sting, Rogue,” she called, crouching down and motioning for them to come over. Sting squirmed down from Gray’s arms, grabbing Rogue’s hand as he scooted over to Yukino. She smiled and wiped at a streak of something on his cheek. “I want you to behave when you’re with Gray and Natsu,” she said, sternly but not unkindly. “What does that mean?”

“Use our manners!” Sting shouted. He immediately looked embarrassed and added, quietly, “Use calm voices, an’ say please and thank you, an’ ask for things before touching them, an’ hold hands when we have to, an’ look before crossing the street. No running.”

Yukino gave Sting a fond smile and ruffled his curls, then turned to look at Rogue.

“No disappearing,” they said quietly, fidgeting and looking at the floor. “Shadows aren’t to play in.”

“Good.” Yukino leaned in and kissed both their foreheads, then stood up and gestured at Natsu and Gray. “Off you go,” she said as Sting bounced excitedly, grinning at Natsu. “Be good and have fun.”

* * *

“There is no way in _hell_ that I am going on that thing.”

Natsu stood at the entrance to the fairground, staring at the tilt-a-whirl with a nauseated expression on his face. “I just about died on the last train we took.”

“Don’t be so dramatic,” Gray said, rolling his eyes as he shifted Rogue on his shoulders.

“Please, Uncle Natsu?” Sting said, looking up at them both with wide eyes. The casual addition of ‘Uncle’ to Natsu’s name felt more important than any title he’d ever claimed. “I never beened to here before.”

“We’re not supposed to,” Rogue said, shaking their head. “Master said it was for babies.”

Sting’s expression suddenly turned serious and he took a step back from the gate. His grip on Natsu’s hand tightened as his excited expression turned to a frown.

“I’m not a baby,” he said, staring at a puddle on the ground. “I’m strong.”

Natsu shared a quick glance with Gray, whose jaw had tightened in anger. He bit down his first instinct – which was to storm over to the guild and punch Jiemma in the face – and crouched down in front of Sting instead. 

“You’re right,” Natsu said. “You are strong. Stronger than me, even.” Sting gave him a dubious look. “I’m too scared to go on those rides,” Natsu said, pointing at the tilt-a-whirl. “But you’re not. You two are both super brave.”

“You’re scared?” Sting asked, eyes wide.

Natsu nodded. “Yup.” His stomach churned as a rollercoaster roared overhead, filled with screaming children. “It makes me sick. But if you wanna go with Uncle Gray, I can go get us some snacks. How’s that sound?”

Sting brightened again and he looked up at Gray. “Really?”

Gray nodded. “Sure, bud,” he said. He held out his hand to take Sting’s. “C’mon, let’s go get in line.”

Natsu gave Gray a grateful look, then leaned in and kissed his cheek. “Thanks,” he said quietly as he ran his hand down Gray’s arm. “I’ll get you a snowcone.”

“You’d better,” Gray muttered, tipping his head and kissing Natsu quickly before nudging Sting toward the rides.

* * *

Natsu spent the rest of the afternoon on the sidelines, watching Gray as he took the boys from ride to ride. There was a surprising ease to his movements, and Natsu couldn’t help the small smile that stole across his face as he watched the three of them interact. For as long as Natsu had known him, Gray hadn’t been particularly interested in children. He had a theory that it was because Gray hadn’t had much of a childhood and didn’t know how to interact with other kids, but watching him with Sting and Rogue made Natsu’s heart happy. Gray looked so comfortable with them – all smiles and silly faces and forehead kisses.

Luckily, Sting and Rogue seemed like they were too young to have inherited the Dragon Slayer’s motion sickness, which meant that they wanted to try every ride. It was almost two hours later by the time they reconvened with Natsu for lunch.

“Where do they get all this energy?” Gray asked as he slumped to the ground and leaned back against a tree. Sting and Rogue were playing tag, with Sting shouting at Rogue for cheating whenever they appeared behind him from the shadows. “Were we this rowdy when we were kids?”

Natsu settled down next to Gray. “I lit the guild on fire when I was like… a year older than Sting. And when you tried to put it out, you froze Erza to the wall.”

“Oh shit, I forgot about that.” Gray laughed. “I guess we were trouble, too.” Natsu snorted as he tipped his head against Gray’s shoulder. He nudged Gray’s hand with his and felt his cheeks warm as Gray’s fingers laced with his.

“This is nice,” he said softly as he watched Sting scramble up the stairs to the playground slide. His blond curls were wild, and half of his face was sticky with the snowcone he’d devoured in seconds. “They both seem happy.”

“So do you,” Gray said softly. “I know you were worried about them.”

“I still am,” Natsu admitted. Sting yelped in surprise when Rogue pushed him down the slide, then burst out laughing when he tumbled off the end into the sand. “What kind of asshole won’t let a six-year-old celebrate his birthday?”

“One that’s obsessed with power.” Gray’s voice was bitter. “They talked a little in the lineups – he makes them spar. And I know we fought when we were little but not _this_ little. Plus, that was ‘cause we wanted to, not because we had to. It’s fucked up.”

Natsu nodded. They both fell silent for a while, watching the dappled shadows from the afternoon sun creep across the grass. Eventually, Sting and Rogue ran back over to them, both out of breath with pink cheeks and wide smiles.

“I’m hungry,” Sting announced, plopping himself down in Gray’s lap.

“Already?” Natsu held out his arm to Rogue, who settled in between him and Gray. “We just had lunch!”

“I’m _always_ hungry,” Sting said seriously. “’cause I’m growing so I can be big like you!”

Natsu laughed. “What about you?” he asked Rogue, who ducked their head as they snuggled closer to him. “Are you also a bottomless pit?” They nodded.

“What’s a bottoms pit?” Sting asked.

“You are,” Natsu said, poking Sting’s stomach. He giggled and curled up against Gray. “Should we go get another hot dog?”

“And some ice cream?” Sting asked hopefully.

“And some ice cream,” Natsu said, leaning in and kissing Sting’s forehead.

* * *

They met Yukino outside the Sabertooth guild hall just before sunset. Rogue was snoring softly, fast asleep in Gray’s arms, and Sting was trailing behind Natsu and rubbing his eyes.

“This place is pretentious as hell,” Gray muttered as they both looked up, taking in the enormous statue that dominated the roof of the building. Each tooth in the snarling maw of the tiger was almost as tall as they were.

“What’s tenshus?” Sting asked sleepily.

“Nothing you have to worry about,” Natsu reassured him.

“’kay.”

Natsu waved as soon as he saw Yukino. She was standing just outside the gate that enclosed the guild hall, occasionally looking over her shoulder toward the door. The anxious energy that seemed to follow her everywhere was evident.

“Were you good?” she asked, smiling when she saw Sting.

“We did all the rides,” he said, looking up at Gray. “Uncle Gray comed with us ‘cause Uncle Natsu gets sick and didn’t wanna puke, and then we got ice cream and played tag at the park, but Rogue cheated ‘cause they kept using the shadows and it’s not fair.” He looked up at Rogue’s sleeping form with a small pout on his face.

“Did you say thank you?” Yukino asked with raised eyebrows.

“Thank you!” Sting said quickly, hugging Gray’s leg. Gray shifted Rogue onto one hip, then reached down and ruffled Sting’s hair.

“You’re welcome, bud.”

“Thank you, Uncle Natsu,” Sting said, turning to Natsu with a sleepy smile. “An’ thank you for Rogue ‘cause they’re sleeping but they always say to use manners ‘cause it’s polite.” He hesitated, looking over at Yukino, then back at Natsu. “Are you going away again?”

The words were laced with disappointment and Natsu’s heart nearly broke. He knelt down in front of Sting and pulled him in for a tight hug.

“We do have to go back to Fairy Tail,” he said regretfully, stomach twisting when Sting hugged him even tighter.

“I don’t want you to go.” Sting sniffled but didn’t let go. “You leaved for a long time and I missed you. You can come back for Rogue’s birthday?”

“Of course, sweetheart,” Natsu said, glancing up at Gray, who looked as heartbroken as he felt. “We’re gonna come back and visit as much as we can, okay?” He kissed the top of Sting’s head and held him close.

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

“’kay.” Sting pulled back and rubbed at his face with his sleeve. His expression was so solemn for someone so little, and Natsu suddenly felt a desperate need to see him smile again.

“Guess what?” Natsu said, reaching into his pocket. “I have a present for you.”

“A birthday present?”

“Yep.” Natsu pulled out a smooth metal ring that fit neatly in Sting’s palm. In the center was a dragon carved from pewter, well-worn from Natsu’s thumb rubbing over the small indent in the middle. The dragon spun inside the ring, catching the soft moonlight and giving it a silvery glow.

“Whoa. It’s for me?”

“Yep. My dad made that for me when I was really little.” Natsu’s throat tightened, but the soft ache of grief was tempered by the bright joy in Sting’s eyes. “I use it to help me focus when my brain is messy.”

“I have a messy brain too.”

“I know you do.”

Sting gripped the ring tightly in his hand and threw himself at Natsu again, hugging him tightly. “I love you,” he said in Natsu’s ear. 

Natsu bit the inside of his cheek to keep back the tears that suddenly threatened to spill. “I love you too,” he said, trying to keep his voice steady. “We both do, very, very much.”

Rogue, who had woken up when Gray had handed them to Yukino, mumbled a sleepy, “Me too.”

“We should get you two to bed.” Yukino said gently. “It’s pretty late.”

“The moon is awake so we have to sleep,” Sting agreed, pointing up at the sky. Then he looked at Natsu sadly as he whispered, “Bye.”

“It’s not goodbye,” Gray reassured Sting, crouching down next to Natsu and hugging Sting. “My grampa used to tell me something whenever we visited him and I didn’t want to go home.”

“What he said?” Sting asked, frowning at Gray.

“Instead of saying goodbye, in my language we say _tsak’hasen._ It means ‘see you soon.’ And we will, because we’ll be back for Rogue’s birthday, right?”

Sting nodded sleepily, then let go of Gray and reached up to take Yukino’s hand.

“Rogue’s birthday is next month,” she said quietly as Sting shuffled closer to her. “So I guess we’ll see you then?”

Gray and Natsu both stood up, sliding their hands together as Natsu nodded. “We’ll come back as much as we can,” he said.

“Thank you,” Yukino said softly as she turned to head back to the guild. “You mean so much to them.”

Yukino and the kids were in the doorway to the guild when Sting turned back around and waved at them, still clutching the dragon talisman in his fist. _“Tsak’hasen!”_ he shouted. _“Tep kse go ka’en te.”_

Gray stared as the door swung closed, then turned to Natsu with wide eyes. “That means ‘I’ll miss you,’” he said slowly.

Something clicked in Natsu’s mind. He leaned into Gray, pressing his nose against Gray’s neck and inhaling the familiar blend of fresh snow and winterberries – the same scent that blended with Sting and Rogue’s, that he’d been trying to puzzle out for weeks.

“Holy shit,” he murmured as he pulled back and stared at Gray. “They’re from Isvan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes i'm making gray bilingual again because why wouldn't isvan have a different language! and i definitely hc natsu as having adhd in general, so sting does too in this. he's basically my son who is also six and never stops talking 😂

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on tumblr as [@splendidlyimperfect](https://splendidlyimperfect.tumblr.com/)


End file.
